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T. J. HOUGK & H, M. BROWNING.

' TBLEGRAPHIG INST'RUGTOR. No. 515,709. Patented Feb. 27, 1894-.

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ITNE SEE II \TVENTURS- Z ATTURNEY- UNITED STATES PATENT omen THOMAS J. HOUCK AND HARRISON M. BROXVNING, OF BALTIMORE, MARY LAND, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-HALF TO J. FRANK MORRISON, OF SAME PLACE.

TELEGRAPHIC INSTRUCTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,709, dated February 27, 1894.

Application filed September 21,1893. Serial No. 486,183. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat we, THOMAS J. Honor: and HARRISON M. BROWNING, citizens of the United States,'residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telegraphic Instructors, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in transmitters for mechanically instructing beginners in the art of telegraphy, and has for its object to provide a device whereby to enable the beginner to acquaint himself with the sounds of the telegraphic signals as transmitted with the key and as repeated by the sounder without the necessity of employing a tutor.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a view partly in section of the invention including an end elevation of the sounder. Fig. 2 is a detail view of one of the circuit-breaking signal wheels and the lever for turning the same. Fig. 3 is aview of the same parts seen in Fig. 2 looking at the opposite or reverse side, and also showing by dotted lines the movement of the operating lever. Fig. i is a detail view of the roller bearing the studs or lugs adapted, through the action of the intermediate levers, for antomatically operating the levers bearing the finger keys, the circuit-breaking wheel and the sounder. Fig. 5 is a top or plan view of the device showing the wire connections. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the wiring when a register is employed. Fig. 7 is a detail top view of one of the operating levers.

The letter, A,indicates a base to which the mechanism is secured. Anumber of operating levers, B, bearing finger keys, I), on their front ends are pivoted to supporting lugs, 19', secured to the base, A. The rear ends of the operating levers have an upward bend and each is provided with an eye, 6 in which is jointed one end of a link, 0, the other end of which link is jointed to a lever, d, rigidly fastened to a horizontal rock-shaft, E, which latge r turns in bearings in two upright posts, F

wheel, G, is loosely mounted onthe shaft;

Between the posts a circuit-breaking each circuit-breaking wheel is provided on its rim with notches and projections which correspond to the dots and dashes of the Morse or some other analogous system of telegraphing; and the free end of av contact finger, H, makes and breaks the circuit when the wheel, G, turns; this finger is secured on an insulated block, h, secured to the base, A. A spring, I, is fastened at one end to the shaft, E, and is coiled around the same between the circuit-breaking wheel and the upright post, F; the other end of the spring is suitably secured to the said upright post. Thus,when the coiled spring is wound up, its tendency is to revolve the shaft, E.

A small ratchet wheel, J, is rigidly secured to the shaft, E, on the side of the circuitbreaking wheel, G, and the upright post, F. A pawl, 70, is pivoted to the side of the circuitbreaking wheel and aspring keeps it engaged with the ratchet wheel, J. By this construction, when the shaft, E, is turned in one direction, the circuit-breaking wheel will move with it, but, when turned in the opposite direction, the circuit breaking wheel will be loose on the shaft and will not turn, therefore the wheel, G,turns only in one direction. A ring-shaped flange has ratchet teeth, Z, on its outer edge and similar to the escapement wheel of the watch, is secured rigidly to the circuit-breaking Wheel and extends around the smaller ratchet wheel, J, and its pawl, 10'.

An escapement,S, is pivoted between the upper ends of the posts, F, F, and acts on the ratchet teeth, Z, of the wheel, as before stated, similar to the escapement of a time-piece. A rod, 1, projects from the escapement and bears a weight, Z which is movable along the rod, whereby the speed or rate of action of the wheel and escape can be varied. From the foregoing description, it will be readily seen that the operation of depressing the operating lever, B, will wind the spring, I, and when the operating lever is released, the spring will unwind by turning the circuitbreaking wheel, and the rate at which the said circuit-breaking wheel moves will be regulated by the weighted rod. As the circuit-breaking wheel turns, the contact-finger, H, will alternately make and break connection, and at the instant the circuit-breaking wheel and contact fingers are connected an electric impulse will be transmitted through said circuit-breaking wheel. Fig. 5 of the drawings illustrates the manner of connect ing up the several circuit-breaking wheels and contact fingers in multiple.

Fig. 6 represents diagrammatically a telegraphic station provided with the usual line battery, relay, local battery, sounder, register, key and connecting wires. Our improved transmitteris also shown in the circuit; means, comprising a short circuit wire, m, and a swltch, m, are provided for cutting the transmltter out of the circuit when it is desired to do so. By this arrangement the beginner may either close the key, open the switch and send the telegraphic signals by means of the Improved transmitter, or he may cut out the transmitter by means of the key in the usual manner. In either case, the signals as sent Will be repeated on the sounder and recorded by the register, so that the beginner will have means for training his ear to the signals as repeated by the sounder; he will also be able to verify the accuracy of the signals as transmitted by him by reference to the permanent records as taken by the register.

Another feature of the invention relates to means for automatically depressing successively a certain number of operating levers to transmit a predetermined signal, that is, any glven word. To this end two upright standards, N, are located one on either side of the operating levers, and a roller, N, above and arranged transversely to the operating levers is journaled in bearings in the said upright standards. This roller is provided with recesses or sockets, 0, corresponding in number to. the operating levers employed; and each socket is located on the said roller above each of the operating levers. A number of tappet lugs, o, are adapted to enter the said sockets. In this manner the roller may be turned freely if there are no tappet lugs in position in the sockets, but if there be one or more of the tappet lugs in position when the roller is turned, the projecting tappet lugs V will impinge against and cause certain operating levers to be depressed, and the telegraphic characters which correspond to the levers so depressed will be transmitted through the electric circuit and reproduced by the sounder. A pulley, n, is fixed to one end of the cylindric roller and a cord, 'n, is fastened to the pulley and has a weight, M, secured to its pendent end. When the cord is wound up, the weight will be raised, and when released the weight will descend, and, in so doing, cause the roller to rotate. In this manner the student may so arrange the tappet lugs that, for example, if the word Baltimore be transmitted and repeated on the sounder, by employing the weight to rotate the roller, he can have the word repeated over and over till he becomes entirely familiar with the sound of each letter. In like manner he can acquaint himself with all telegraphic sounds and characters.

In Figs. 1, 4 and 5 of the drawings, a convenient system of intermediate levers is shown, whereby, when the roller is turned, the tappet lugs may be used to depress the operating levers. In Fig. 1 the intermediate levers are shown as thrown out of engagement, in which position the device is designed to be operated by depressing the finger caps. In Fig. 4;, the intermediate levers are shown arranged in operative position for use when the roller is employed. An upright frame, P, is located alongside each operatinglever, and an intermediate lever, Q, is pivoted thereto. This lever has an upper end, q, curved orbent toward the roller and against which the tappet lug, 0, strikes when the roller is turned. The lower end, q, of the curved lever is, when in operative position, normally held down by the rear end, r,of the straight lever, B, which is also pivoted to the upright frame, P; the front end, 1", is, when in operative position, placed on the top side of the operatinglever, B, in front of its pivot point, as may be seen by reference to Fig. 4: of the drawings. In operative position, the said front end, r, of the lever, B, is thrown off from the operating lever, B, as will be seen in Fig. 1 of the drawings. It will readily be seen that when one of the tappet lugs, 0, strikes the curved end, q, of the bent lever, it will depress the said curved end and elevate the straight end, g, which is under the rear end of the pivoted lever, R, which latter will in turn depress the front end, 0", of the said pivoted lever, and the depression of the latter will cause the depression of the operating lever, B, and thereby operate the signal wheel, G.

It will be readily understood that in placing the tappet lugs in the sockets of the roller, the tappet lug which operates the lever that is to transmit the first letter of the message to be sent, must be placed first,the tappet lug to operate the lever which transmits the second letter of the said message is then'placed in a socket that is a distance behind the first tappet lug, and so on. This arrangement is necessary in order that the characters to be transmitted may be struck by the revolution of the roller in proper succession and not simultaneously. The advantage arising from the use of the roller is apparent, in that by its use a beginner may give his entire attention to listening to the sounder, whereas otherwise he would have to devote a portion of his attention to operating the transmitter.

It is obvious that certain features of construction of the several parts of the transmitter may be varied without departing from the spirit of the invention as hereinafter claimed.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of the pivoted operating lever;

signal-wheel;contact finger adapted to make and break contact with the signal-wheel when the latter is turned; a spring normally unwound and adapted when wound up to turn the said signal-wheel; a lever, 01, connected with the rock-shaft; and a link, 0, connecting the operating lever and lever, 01; and means for regulating the speed of rotation of the sig nal-wheel.

2. The combination of the pivoted operating levers; signal-wheels each loosely mounted on a rock-shaft and having a spring-pawl;

contact fingers each adapted to make and break contact with a signal-wheel when the latter is turned; a normally-unwound spring having one end secured to the rock-shaft and adapted when wound up to turn the same; a ratchet-wheel, J, fixed on the rock-shaft and in engagement with the said pawl of the signal-wheel; levers, (1, connected with the rockshaft; and a link, 0, connecting each operating lever with one of the said levers, d.

3. The combination of the pivoted operating levers; signal-wheels each loosely mount ed on a rock-shaft and having a spring pawl; contact fingers each adapted to make and break contact with a signal-wheel when the latter is turned; a normally-unwound spring having one end secured to the rock-shaft and adapted when wound up to turn the same; a ratchet-wheel, J, fixed on the rock-shaft and in engagement with the said pawl of the signal-wheel a ring-shaped flange secured to the signal-wheel and having ratchet-teeth; and an escapement device operating on the ratchet-teeth of the ring-shaped flange to regulate the speed of rotation of the signal-wheel.

a. In a device of the class described, the combination of the signal-wheels; operating levers to actuate the signal-wheels; a roller mounted in bearings and extending transversely to said levers and provided with tappet lugs; intermediate levers between the roller and operating levers; and means for throwing said intermediate levers into and out of engagement with the operating levers.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of operating levers each carrying afinger-key representing a letter or character; signal-wheels equal in number to the operating levers employed; a contact finger for each signal-wheel and adapted to make and break contact with the same; a roller mounted in bearings and extending transversely to said operating levers and provided with sockets equal in number to the operating levers,--said sockets arranged behind and laterally to each other; tappet lugs adapted to enter said sockets; and intermediate levers between said tappet lugs and operating levers, whereby, when the roller is turned, the operating levers are depressed automatically.

6. The combination of the operating levers; a roller mounted in bearings and extending transversely to the said levers and provided with sockets equal in number to the operating levers; a pulley at one end of said roller; tappet lugs adapted to enter the said sockets of the roller; a cord passed over the pulley .on the roller; a weight attached to the cord and adapted to turn the roller when the cord is wound up and released; and intermediate levers operating between the tappet lugs and the operating levers, whereby, when the roller bearing the tappet-lugs is turned, the operating levers are depressed automatically.

7. The combination of a roller mounted in bearings and provided with sockets; tappet lugs adapted to enter the sockets; signalwheels; operating levers to actuate the signal-wheels; and intermediate levers between the roller and operating levers and comprising a curved lever, q, projecting up toward the roller and a lever, B, engaging the operating lever, B, to hold it in position, said lever, R, also serving to hold down the lower end of the curved lever when it is desired to have the device operate the signal-wheels automatically.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of the operating levers; a roller mounted in fixed bearings and extending transversely to the said levers and provided with sockets equal in number to the operating levers; tappet lugs adapted to enter the said sockets; and intermediate levers operating between the tappet-lugs and said operating levers, whereby, when the roller bearing the tappet-lugs is turned, the operating levers are depressed automatically, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS J. HOUOK. HARRISON M. BROWNING. Witnesses:

HY. A. ALBERT, GHAs. B. MANN, J r. 

